Broken Frontier

Just to be completist about it, Alterna Comics gives their rising star, Michael S. Bracco (Birth, Novo), a special graphic novel collection of his early short works.  But that’s lucky for us because these unpublished gems are indeed gem-like, and worth looking at, some of them more than once (multiple reads are rewarded!).  Alterna released a graphic novel  collection of Bracco’s Atty & Max (a self-published ongoing from long ago), and now here we get a slew of A&M short stories, including the headlining tale, “The Collective”, plus a smorgasbord of odds and ends, including horror stories, creepy little love stories, and some that don’t really have a neat genre fit.  They all, however, show an up-and-coming artist learning his ropes, sometimes dead-on climbing all over the bloody things.  And this GN is completely free for download online.

Now before you dive into The Collective (and Other Stories), I strongly advise you to check out the aforementioned Atty & Max first, for not only does the lion’s share of this Collective collection involve that two-in-one beloved character, but it even contains the continuation/wrap-up of the cliffhanger ending that A&M finished on.  Since A&M is also available for free online download, get ‘em both, then read ‘em in alphabetical order.  You won’t be disappointed.  Disgusted or offended, maybe (they’re not for children!), but the quality of even these rough-and-ready first comics displays the wild imagination that Bracco currently wields to such successful end in his best-selling Birth and Novo.

So what precisely can you expect to find in The Collective?  Well, there’s “The Collective”, probably the bleakest and blackest-humored Atty & Max tale to date.  There’s also a cool update on Creature From the Black Lagoon, now a Crayfish-creature in the Louisiana swamplands; then my favorite—a story meant for a family love themed anthology which…well…Bracco’s humor kind of took it right the hell out of that ballpark, though technically it is still about family love (it’s not sexual, but you’ll see what I mean).  A plethora more Atty & Max one-offs, including the 26-page finale to the last chapter of the A&M GN that most will be very happy to see getting a continuation (this new chapter leaves off in a much more satisfying place).  There’s more, but too much, honestly, to catalogue in full in a single review.

The stories all contain Bracco’s signature obsession with grotesque physiology, ironic destiny, and sudden violence.  The subject matter will therefore not fall within everyone’s sphere of satisfaction, but for those who’ve always enjoyed the quirky, the fantastic, and the surreal, and aren’t turned off by potty humor, black humor, or blood and a pair of dangling breasts or two, this should be an anthology for you.  Some of the stories are quite old, before Bracco’s professional finesse emerged, but most are still very entertaining and memorable excursions nevertheless.  I’d recommend checking out Birth first, to get a taste of the modern-day Bracco and then dig into what-has-come-before, but honestly, it shouldn’t matter much.  Crazy-cool comics are crazy-cool comics, and Bracco is about as crazy-cool as they come.

His art here is far more sporadic than his writing: ranging from decidedly spotty to a mere hopscotch away from the pro polish of Birth.  There’s art here to wow the mind and art to  squint at and quickly turn the page from.  Though here the saving grace is once again that Bracco’s showcased failings are moot—he’s already progressed, he’s already become a force to be reckoned with, and so it’s a pure kick-back blast to see how he got there, every step of the way.  The painful becomes personable, more a confession (I wasn’t always this cool, says the author) than a too-early comic which must be judged on its current skill alone.

If you haven’t read Birth, it’s the sold-out must-read of last year, so don’t hesitate any longer!  It and its sequel, Novo Volume 1 are both available at the Alterna online store, or can be ordered through your local comic shop with the Diamond codes listed below.  Then head over to Wowio.com and download the PDF versions of Atty & Max and The Collective and revel in Bracco-laden goodness.  I’ve been rolling in his stuff this past week, and no matter how old the material or unrefined it became, I wouldn’t trade a page of it for anything else.  These here are some very worthwhile comics.  Go take a peek and tell me if I’m wrong.

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Birth can be ordered through your favorite comic shop with the Diamond Code: DEC07 3331 or downloaded for free online HERE.

Novo Volume 1: The Birth of Novo, the first in a 7-volume series that serves as a sequel to Birth, can be ordered with Diamond Code: APR08 3509 or downloaded for free online HERE.

Atty & Max GN can be downloaded online for free HERE.

And finally, The Collective (and Other Stories) can be downloaded free HERE.